Rating: 
Summary: Shuts Down
Review: Although the snapshots aren't great the videos came out pretty well. That is until it started shutting down after some seconds of recording. The camera is now usless to me uneless I can find someone to repair it.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Second Camcorder
Review: First, lets clear up a few bits of misleading advertising by the many manufacturers of camcorders that record mpeg's directly to flash memory cards. Most of these devices record at very small resolutions (320x240 or less) and slow frame rates (15 frames per second). This is not unlike the movie mode found on most digital cameras that are available today (except that these devices can record in clips greater than 30 seconds). Anyone who has recorded video at these resolutions and/or speeds knows that the output quality is virtually useless for anything other than e-mailing clips of events that you have no intention of preserving for the long-term.
If you want an mpeg recorder that is even close to the quality of your MiniDV or analog camcorder, than you need to find one that is capable of recording in resolutions of 640x480 or higher and frame rates of at least 30 fps. The manufacturers cal this "DVD quality" which, in my opinion, is very deceiving because most people would expect to get video that is every bit as clear as what they would buy on a DVD. Not so. Just because you have a device that records at "DVD Quality" resolution and frame rate, it doesn't mean, by any stretch of the imagination, that the picture quality itself (lighting, clarity, fluidity of movement, etc.) will be anywhere near "DVD quality". So you have to know what you're buying and, unfortunately, in the quest to sell more camcorders, most manufacturers do a lousy job of informing their customers of these small details.
So you should know that no camcorder that records to memory cards is going to give you even close to the same quality as a camcorder that records to digital tape. Why? Because, in order to reduce the file size enough to stream it and fit it onto a memory card, you have to compress the video to the point where much of the detail is lost. So why buy a memory card camcorder? Well, with tape-based camcorders (whether it is analog or digital), you have to play back the entire recording in real-time in order to capture it into your computer. With card-based camcorders, you just put the card into a reader and transfer the file electronically.
So, now that we know the background, if you're still convinced that a card-based camcorder is for you, you should know that, as of the date that this review is being written, I know of only 3 devices that are capable of recording full-length video directly to memory cards at resolutions of 640x480 or higher: The Sanyo/Fisher FVD-C1, The Panasonic SV-AV100, and the JVC Everio line. Of the 3, the Sanyo/Fisher is by far the cheapest. But you get what you pay for, as the saying goes...
Of the three devices, the Sanyo/Fisher has, by far, the worst picture quality - particularly indoors or in low lighting. The picture is grainy and the motion is choppy. But that's only the start of the problems. The autofocus, especially when it is fully zoomed in, is really touchy. So much so, in fact, that the camera never knows what to focus on and the motor is constantly buzzing in and out. Realizing this problem, Sanyo/Fisher has included a quick way to lock the autofocus by pressing a single button (remember to check the manual for this because YOU WILL NEED IT OFTEN). But, still, it can be very annoying. The motor noise of the zoom and autofocus is also pretty loud and is audible in the recordings. But, to me, this is the trade-off for such a small and compact design.
On the good side, the "cameracorder" features a 3 megapixel digital camera which takes fairly decent pictures both indoors and out. Also, the unit is very small and features its own semi-soft case and docking station. The style and erginomics of this camera are also excellent, with everything laid out just where you need it and in a very attractive fashion. It features a portable external battery charger which is very small and very convenient for charging a second battery while still being able to use the camcorder. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, this device records its movies directly to an .mp4 format, which can be opened directly by Apple's very commonly available Quick Time application. Both the Panasonic and the JVC write to their own proprietary formats which must be first manipulated in their own software before you can use it across computers. In my mind, this is a big detraction from those products because the whole point of getting a card-based camcorder is to have the file readily available without further manipulation. So, in this regard, the Sanyo/Fisher got it right.
In short, I think that the people who have panned this device in reviews are expecting far too much from it. Compared to the Panasonic and the JVC, this one wins in the category of style, price, and convenience. The others win in the category of picture quality. But, remember, none are as good as a tape-based recorder. So if you are buying any of these units with the intention of replacing your existing camcorder, forget it. That being said, as a second ultra-portable very convenient camcorder for a very decent price, I'd go with this one. And I did.
Rating:
Summary: really 4.5 stars
Review: great piece of technology. i would give it a 5, but the 3.2mp camera has some flaws with blurring. other than that, i am extremely happy with this camcorder. get a decent video editor, like roxio, and you will be in business for family videos or the crazies on the commuter train.
i love this thing!
Rating:
Summary: Neither a good camcorder nor a decent camera
Review: I bought this toy from Sears for $860 including tax but got my money back in 30 days. I had a chance to compare video to my very cheap Sharp mini-DV camcorder ($300). I also compared photo quality to my very old Canon PowerShot G1 camera. Well, Fisher was performing terribly bad:
Video. Sanyo claims that 640x480, 30-fps mode produces DVD quality video. FALSE.
1. I am not sure whether it was real 30 frame-per second or not but video was noticeably jerky. In contrast, Sharp makes a really smooth analog-like video.
2. Lots of compression artifacts. Again, Sharp was smooth as TV. But I would never say that Sharp has a video any near of DVD quality.
3. Very high noise especially in darker conditions.
4. Very slow automatic white balancing. During recording, when I point the camera from a light to a dark scene and vice-versa, it takes several seconds before the camera finishes justifying to new light conditions.
5. 512MB is very little for video. You have to invest more money to make it usable at least for duration of a weekend. In order to be able to record at least two hours of video you will have to spend $300-350 for 2 extra 1GB SD cards. With mini-DV tapes it is obviously not an issue.
Photo:
1. Extremely high noise. When I saw the shots on my PC after the first day of playing I was terribly disappointed. The images were way too grainy. I was not sure whether it was a CCD noise or dithering artifacts introduced by the image processor.
2. Very strong compression artifacts. The camera produces 3-megapixel JPEG files with approximately 100kb size which I think is way over-compressed. Little details such as small stones, grass, a human hair get blurred because of the compression. And surprise: you will not be able to change compression mode at all. There is no such a setting.
Conclusion: I really like the idea of combining both video and photo in one very small and light unit. It was a good first try. Deserves three stars but I will put only two because of the marketing B.S. Unfortunately, the result is neither a good camcorder nor a decent camera. If Sanyo addresses all these issues in the next generation (C2?), I will definitely keep it beyond the trial period.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Camera - I don't leave home without it.
Review: I have owned 5 or 6 camcorders in my lifetime. Formats ranging from VHS then VHS C, then 8MM, then Hi 8MM then finally Mini DV. Film cameras were always 35MM. I spent a lot of money on cameras both Video and stills that spent more time in closets then they did being used. Vacations and birthday parties. Then back in the closet until next time. The last thing I needed was another camera to store in my closet.
My wife wanted to get a digital camera for her usage so she could store and e mail her photos. I did some research and was intregued to get a digital camera because its the obvious technology in photography. So I went to SEARS to pick up one up for her and came across this little Fisher that does it all. It does everything it claims to do very, very well. Digital pictures are clear and crisp and the camcorder area of the camera is outstanding in the HQ mode. It's easy to use with my PC. It comes with every accessory you can ever need. In fact I don't even wire it to my PC to download, I just take the 512MB SD card out that it comes with and plug it into my computers multi card reader. Bingo. Done.
Everytime I leave the house I have my cell phone and this camera on my person and I am using it more then any other camera I ever owned. I bought it for my wife from SEARS but I'm not giving it up. I buying another one for HER usage from Amazon because she gets jealous.Great Camcorder and camera! Very cool and very practical
Rating:
Summary: Nice little package!
Review: I love this little thing! It's so easy to use and it's got everything I need. I can carry it anywhere and use it as my camera and camcorder. The picture is so sharp and clear, the colors so bright that when I'm watching what I've recorded, it looks like I'm right there. I can't say enough good things about the Cameracorder. Before I bought it, I looked at the other brands too, but this Fisher one is by far the best. All the others don't fit as well in my hand as this one does and it's fun to use. The only thing that took me time to adjust to is the automatic focus. It took a little experimentation to get used to it. But now everything is great! Take it from me, this product is so awsome! I got more than my money's worth.
Rating:
Summary: very nice
Review: i picked up both the fisher and the new sony T1. trying both then taking the one i dont like back. overall after using both for a week, im in love with the Fisher. it has great features, great video quality.. and so easy to make vcd's. the sony didnt like direct sunlight and the white balance was crap. the fisher didnt mind the sun one bit, and even though the sony has higher mega pixels.. the fisher is richer in color. buy it at sears and return it if you dont like it. for me, it will be recording my whole summer vacation :)
Rating:
Summary: Very portable but with flaws
Review: I regret buying this camera. The good: It's very portable and easy to transfer files from the camera to the PC. The bad: The build quality is poor (There are defective CCD pixels that show up as white spots), Noise (If the ambient sound is quiet a constant clicking is heard on the soundtrack, When the zoom is used the motor noise is very load on the soundtrack), image resolution (at 640x480 the quality is much worse than what is available on other cameras.
In short, If you're going to take movies that you want to keep and savour, buy a better camcorder.
Rating:
Summary: Sony no more !
Review: I usually buy Sony or Panasonic. Never again! I have had this camera for about 2 weeks now and I love it. Fisher, a name from the past has done it again. This is easy to use, compact and with 512 mb of memory you can't go wrong with the price. A must have for anyone with a family.
Rating:
Summary: GET THE LATEST MODEL-- THE SANYO XACTI
Review: I was very tempted to buy the Fisher CameraCorder, but the price was alittle high for what I wanted-- a digital camcorder to post videos on the web. After doing some research, I found the Sanyo Xacti [...]. Remember, the Fisher was released Nov 13, 2003 and is just getting over here now. The Xacti was released Aug 23, 2004, and fixes some of the bugs in the Fisher, with a larger LCD screen, updated CCD sensor, and image stabilizing technology. [...] I posted more info here if you are interested.
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